Last Dance
by Troublesome Dragon
Summary: Lost and alone, her search to reach the light of the sun will lead her to fall from its eclipse.


Last Dance

Asuka stumbled into the forest. She stopped running to catch her breath and leaned against a tree. The gold and silver ghouls had not bothered to follow her, or she assumed so after about five minutes. She waited a while longer, but no one joined her, leaving her alone in a strange land where her remaining allies were her cards. For once, she could not fathom what to do. She escaped by sheer dumb luck. Her brother had been struck from behind. It was Manjoume who pushed her out of the way and kept her from the same fate.

Without a sun, Dark World produced a chill that crept into one's skin the longer a person traveled. She had no protection from the cold and shivered involuntarily. Combined with her adrenaline fueled heart, Asuka felt ill. She decided that she should find shelter. Then, she would gather whatever remained of her friends. Asuka considered who would have escaped the ambush. Both Sho and Judai had remained on their Sonic Ducks, more or less, and continued forward. Judai had a considerable lead as he had ignored everyone and ran ahead of them. Sho had been falling off his duck when she ran the other direction. Logically, she should look for Judai. Assuming he survived, Sho was sure to follow him anyway.

Asuka walked, and she found it hard to keep track of how far she had gone when the trees all looked the same to her. They varied little in width and length, providing no hint on whether she had passed the same exact trees or not. She also faced perpetual darkness with minimal success. Asuka tripped often, leaving her with many scratches. After a few hours of the same scenery, she had to consider the idea of camping in the forest. Some part of her vaguely remembered how to make a campfire, and she had passed a clearing some time ago, if she could find it again. The sounds of clinking armor distracted her and the guttural growling of soldiers made her nervous. She took a few cautious steps forward and spied a goblin troop marching down a dirt road. Once they left her sight, she weighed her options. She could leave the forest, but it would leave her exposed, staying in the forest while inconvenient would provide coverage. If she could find a river, she could catch fish and solve her sustenance problem. And yet, she would never find Judai hiding in the forest or Johan for that matter. The more she reflected on her current predicament the more comfortable she became with the idea of finding everyone and leaving at this point instead. Except, Judai seemed inexplicably attached to Johan. On some level, she understood it. Johan had sacrificed himself to get them all out. Of course, Judai would want to return the favor, but he seemed all too ready to risk their lives without a second thought.

Unfortunately, there was a chance the others had perished. The fiends obviously did not have good intentions when they captured her friends. She thought of her brother who she may never see again and suppressed the urge to cry. She could not afford to breakdown, finding shelter was more important. The dirt road could possibly take her to such a safe place, which way she should go remained a problem. Asuka decided to follow the goblins. They would likely lead her to the citadel Judai was after. Instead, she found herself in a village. The place was abandoned. She could hear a ruckus nearby likely caused by the goblins. She went the opposite direction. Many of the places were charred and structurally unsound. She chose a place in the outskirts of the village that remained intact. When she stepped inside, she expected cobwebs and various other signs of neglect, inside the place was reasonably well kept with bread on the table. There were small signs of a quick exit, a child's doll on the floor, clothes hastily scattered everywhere, and candles still lit, slowly melting into a large puddle of wax. She sat down and ate the bread. Taking it would hurt no one, the family had been gone for at least three days, judging by the hardness of the bread.

She left the small kitchen area located near the hearth and chose to sleep in the larger of the two adjacent rooms. There wasn't much to look at, an empty dresser, a loom, and a mattress full of hay. Still, it was much better than the alternative. When she awoke, she found herself sore as her current accommodations paled in comparison to the posh rooms of Obelisk blue. She pilfered useful things from the house: a cloak, two glassy rocks used to start fires, and a pair of sewing needles for when her clothes would inevitably tear. Without people in town to talk to, she did not know where to head to next. Since she didn't know how long her trek would last, she returned briefly to take some of the fallen clothing as well. Following the goblin army would do her no good, at best, they might lead her to the citadel. Unlike Judai, she did not have the confidence or the thick head to try and disarm a citadel by herself. So, she would need to find people and hopefully one of them could lead her to Judai.

The place was deserted, absent of duel monsters or people. For whatever reason, the invaders had taken prisoners. Asuka felt herself grow discouraged. Not only was Dark World full of inhospitable rocky terrain, the dimension was apparently also at war. Her search proved fruitful as she found food, water, and more importantly a map. The map showed two distinct landscapes: the rocky area they had traveled before their untimely separation and the forest area which she traveled now. There were four citadels with scattered villages surrounding them. She was in the west sector and reaching the western citadel would only take a day or two, but she opted to travel to the village closest to its location. There she might hear news of a strange boy in a red jacket certainly.

Asuka started her journey in slightly better spirits now that she knew where she was going. Every once in a while, she would hear someone coming and retreat into the nearby forest until they passed. As night hit, she grew weary. She needed to make camp soon. Again, she heard the trampling of hooves, and retreated. This wasn't a passing family or stray troop but a fortified army. In the lead , a human of all things led all sorts of familiar goblins, ghouls, and fiends past her. The man wore black armor with elongated spikes protruding from his shoulders. His helmet covered his face, further obscuring his identity from the surrounding fiends. Even if he hadn't been in front of the troops, she could tell he must be a general of some sort by the lavish golden trim and purple spheres on his armor. The red cape seemed needless and impractical in battle. She wondered why he bothered to wear it.

Unaware of how good the duel monster's hearing was, she chose to stay perfectly still rather than risk capture. The armored man turned his skeletal steed around to face his army. The crowd became restless and wild , chanting Haou feverishly. He raised a hand, and a sudden hush befell them. Her breathing turned rapid. There was no reason for him to have stopped right where she was, unless she had been found. He held his arm a loft and a raven perched on his wrist. The raven had an unearthly purple glow. She recognized it as one of the handful of cards banned from the game. Weak but with a play stopping effect, the bird must have other tricks it could use in the flesh which might get her caught. The creature flew above her, and she started to back away slowly. A twig snapped under her foot. A few curious monsters stepped forward to check the source of the sound. Asuka continued to back away. With that minor slip up, her best chance was to remain in the dark and let them assume some small forest creature had passed by.

"Enough, go on ahead, he shall lead you," Haou said, leaving his steed. This caused a plethora of whispers to break out. He raised his hand again, inducing silence. The spell caster, a sickly pale version of the dark magician, nodded in confirmation and gave the order to continue. The monsters returned to their posts. Hindered by the heavy armor, his steps were slow and well paced. Her vision became obstructed as she continued further into the forest. With the army moving on, she walked faster, breaking into a run. She risked the chance that he may call a monster to aid him, but at his current stride, she should gain a respectable distance. The farther she went, the better her odds that he would get bored of searching for whatever he thought broke the twig.

"Don't run," he said. She stopped. A few monsters turned their heads. He waved them away, and they marched forward.

"Please, let me be. I'm simply searching for a friend at the next village," Asuka explained. Since his face was covered, she had no idea if her words had any effect. His pace did quicken so she assumed she had garnered his interest.

"Oh, who are you looking for?" he asked, a hint of amusement hidden in the deep tenor of his voice. Despite his appearance and apparent rank, there was no hidden threat in his tone. The way he talked spoke volumes, his pronunciation exact and polite. Asuka chose to answer because of this.

"Judai, a boy I was traveling with. I have reason to believe he might be in the village," she said, knowing on some level giving him a definite description might give her trouble.

"He is not," he answered poignantly. There was no hesitation when he spoke or any other indication that he lied. He stood a few feet from her, but his proximity did not concern her. He could have captured her long before.

"Do you know where he is?" she asked. Well aware, this man might have killed him, but then again, Judai had made stranger allies.

"If you follow me, I will show you," Haou said, turning his back on her as if he knew she would. His answer did not bode well for Judai's safety. She imagined that he might lead her to a broken body. From what she had witnessed, death here did not work the same as on earth. There shouldn't be a body to find. Unless Judai had hidden away somewhere? Why would he bother to take her to him otherwise? Asuka had no other leads so she walked over to him. They stood side by side. This seemed to unsettle him.

He would check on her every few minutes, before staring at the path ahead. By the fifth time, she let herself fall back behind him. When he turned and saw no one, he turned around, his armor clinking awkwardly from the sudden movement.

"Yes?" she asked. He paused before answering.

"Nothing," he said. She didn't comment. Perhaps without an army, he was a coward. She stared down at her duel disk. Technically, she was armed. She started to unfasten the duel disk.

"That is unwise," Haou said. Asuka decided to let the matter drop and moved her hand from the duel disk. A quiet lull settled between them, something in the way he carried himself made her unwilling to speak.

"Why do you want to find him? Didn't he abandon you?" Haou asked.

"If he is alive, I will find him," she said. Sho too, she added silently. Finding everyone else was unrealistic at this point. He scoffed.

"Continue on this path and it shall kill you," he warned. She stopped walking. That had definitely been a threat.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"If you answer my question, I will tell you," he said. She debated what she was comfortable admitting to the stranger.

" Because, he would have done the same for me," she said. He had stepped in for her numerous times, even when she didn't need him too. Judai could be helpful to a fault. Haou laughed, and it was chillingly familiar.

"No, he wouldn't have," Haou said, lifting his helmet.

"I thought you were dead, and that was the end of it" Haou said. The eyes she saw were foreign to her. A demon had invaded Judai and it wasn't the one they had been fighting for the last few months.

"To be honest, I was finding a proper place to kill you. I can't bring myself to do it by the side of the road," Haou admitted.

The words didn't register at first. It never occurred to her when she went through the portal that Judai would kill her, maybe some stray monster, but not her friend. Still, no matter how he looked liked or dressed, he must be Judai, no matter how warped this place had made him.

"What do you think you're doing? You're supposed to be finding Johan," Asuka said, recovering from the initial shock. She grabbed his arm and pulled him. Judai always had a slim figure, but this recent transformation bestowed him with hidden strength. He didn't budge.

"Sho ran from me and watches from afar, but you're not afraid," Haou said. Knowing who was underneath did boost her confidence, but her body coursed with adrenaline, producing a thin sheen of sweat. She shouldn't be so liberal with him. He had procured an army in less than two days.

The fact remained that she knew him. She had followed him and promised to help him. Right now, he obviously had strayed from his original intentions. She couldn't leave him acting as some sort of fiendish warlord.

"You want to challenge me," he added, abandoning his search for an ideal spot to duel her. He activated his duel disk, and she jumped back. The duel disk looked more like some sort of ornate saw than a duel disk and matched his armor. A pseudo demonic eye sat in the middle of the duel disk where the counter would normally be.

"Yes, I honestly should have long before. " she said, remembering their brief stay underground. Something had over come her then, she couldn't quite reach him when she sounded like some desperate maiden in a tower, useless and pleading. He wouldn't have listened then and her chances of that had decreased now. Technically, there wasn't anything left to salvage.

"Do you have any conditions?" Haou asked. The suggestion surprised her. The choices were clear, fight or perish in a flourish of sparks.

"I see no point if one of us will die either way," she said. He took a long pause before addressing her.

"If you were to win, what remains of me is yours to do with as you wish, but I will not lose," Haou explained. Asuka let a breath escape her. So, he wasn't Judai or at least, not completely.

"Okay then, I'll be glad to set you straight." she said with as much bravado as she could muster. She wondered if his deck went through as much of a make over as he did. The only time she had faced him had not ended in her favor, and the stakes were much greater this time around. She would have to hope that the small adjustments she made would give her enough of an edge.

She wanted to know one thing should she fail.

"Answer me this, why do you want me dead?" she asked. He drew his cards, and it seemed he wouldn't answer the question. He raised his eyes from his hand and with a dead panned look, answered.

"So long as you are alive, you are a threat. I will let nothing hold me back," Haou did not make a move. The first turn was hers.

She considered his words, a part of him feared her. A reminder of his former life might trigger a reaction from Judai, victory was definitely possible.

"I'll start. I activate Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen," she said. The dirt road faded, replaced by white marble. The columns rose and the red curtain appeared behind him. He looked around as if it were his own hall.

"You've made some changes," he said, neither surprised nor disappointed. He seemed to simply exist with no visible expression. She hadn't even seen him blink yet. She had trouble looking him in the eye. Those eyes weren't human and made her freeze. For several minutes, she couldn't bring herself to make a move. He never grew impatient or urged her to continue. Eventually, she forced herself to focus.

"I summon Splendid Venus, " she said. The first thing visible were here her four wings that unfurled to reveal her mechanical hourglass figure. She had no irises, only pure white eyes. Wearing protective golden armor with ornate orange spheres, she had the demeanor and look of a holy war deity. A Golden shine surrounded her, a shine that weakened every monster that wasn't like her. Feeling more comfortable with a strong monster in front of her, she continued.

"I discard Zeradias, Herald of Heaven, and add Sanctuary in the Sky to my hand," she said. She looked at her remaining hand. None of her ritual cards had surfaced. With any luck, she wouldn't get a dead draw when she got into a pinch.

"I activate Sanctuary in the Sky, and summon The Calculator whose attack equals the total level of all monsters on my field times three hundred, making its attack three thousand," she said. The biped mechanical monster had a rectangular head and a screen for a face . It began to calculate its attack points with the numbers on its chest. Three thousand flashed on its screen briefly before its hand began to surge with electricity. Venus held her staff, and the monster crouched on is accordion legs. Its attack points dipped to two thousand five hundred.

They were still inside the hall but a brief weightlessness passed through Asuka as their surroundings adjusted to the cards played. The architecture of the island was decidedly Greek and slightly ruinous. Half of a stadium was on the right side of the island while the center resembled Athena's temple. Further back was a large open space surrounded by columns with a beacon protruding out of the sky. The hall had been relocated to the center of the sanctuary. She could see the pointed triangular tip from the open room. A fine mist spread from their high elevation.

"I set two cards face down and end my turn," she said, her hand officially empty.

"If nothing else, you've improved the scenery," Haou said. She scowled, knowing he probably meant to mock her. His dark aura and toneless voice overshadowed such an attempt if he did.

"What happened to you?" Asuka said. It is a question she didn't think to ask before, but the change had been so distinct that she could not ignore it.

"I've become what I have to. If I'm to be of any use to anyone, my heart cannot be pure," Haou said.

An indignation developed in Asuka as she registered the hypocrisy in his words. Judai had been fool hardy, but this incarnation had not bothered to look for her. Haou planned to kill her and once he did that, he would likely kill anyone else he ran across.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're not useful now. Judai, help me find the others so we can get out of here," she said. His eyes narrowed slightly when she said Judai, but he did not correct her.

"They're dead,"he told her. A tear escaped at the news, but she pushed the rest down as she had for the last day and a half. If the others were gone and he had assumed her imminent death, she was left with one hope to turn Judai around.

"Johan?" she said. He said nothing. Much like Judai, he only scanned his cards briefly before making a move.

"I special summon Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy," Haou said.

"Evil Hero?" she said to no one in particular. It sounded wrong on her tongue, a paradox that shouldn't be.

The being resembled a humanoid giant bat demon and eagerly jumped onto the field. Its attack was unimpressive, but like Judai's old deck, she knew better than to assume that was it.

"Then, I sacrifice him to summon Caius The Shadow Monarch," Haou said. The figure resembled its owner in many ways. The thing was completely armored segmented into several pieces like a centipede. The creature permeated with a dark purplish aura, and its red eyes stared at Asuka with contempt.

"When he is tribute summoned, I can remove one card from play one the field. I choose Splendid Venus," Haou said. Asuka flinched as Caius tossed a dark energy ball at Splendid Venus. She shattered, emitting an unearthly wail. Asuka reluctantly removed her from play.

"Caius, attack The Calculator," Haou said. The creature's power had greatly diminished after Splendid Venus's sudden end. The Calculator sat on the marble floor waiting to be blasted. It's head staring at the ground.

As the monster had not been a fairy, Asuka took damage leaving her with six thousand two hundred life points. She breathed heavily, partially from the blast but also from the elevation that she had unwittingly put them in. Although she had no visible scars, the damage weakened her, making her shaky at the knees.

"I activate Dark Fusion," he said. The monarch had been a mere test run. Asuka smiled.

"I activate Dark Bribe. Your magic card's effect is negated and sent to the graveyard, but you get to draw another card," Asuka explained. Haou placed the card in the graveyard and drew his new card. He showed little concern, but Asuka's nearly empty field provided little challenge.

"I set one card face down and end my turn," Haou said.

Asuka drew her card, and blessed her luck, nothing short of Marshmellon was a better stall card than these two. She set the monster down in defense mode. Haou waved his hand over his face down.

"I activate Dna Transplant, all monsters are treated as earth attributes," Haou declared. His monarch bristled as it became more jagged and crystalline.

"What for?" she asked as the play did not follow Judai's usual aggressive swift strikes. The card suggested some sort of long term strategy.

"Should there be a need, you shall see the reason," Haou answered. Asuka sighed, what was the use.

"I end my turn," she said.

"Caius, attack her hidden monster, absolute oblivion," Haou commanded. The ball of energy revealed the two huddling green and pink creatures. There sparkling blue eyes grew large as they witnessed the dark being in front of them. They remained intact, despite their small stature.

"Clever, but it won't be enough," he said.

"We'll see," Asuka said. Haou grinned, and it wasn't as friendly as she remembered..

"You don't know what I can do. I end my turn," he said.

Asuka shivered, effected by the surrounding mist's chill. She glanced at his armor with slight envy. Asuka did not know how severe any burns she received would be. All she had to do was keep going, and remind him of something, anything that would make him want to come home and that was when the most preposterous proposition occurred to her.

"They don't have fried shrimp here," she said. Haou blinked and he raised his eyebrows.

"What?" he said, and amazingly his eyes were brown. She took that as a sign that she wasn't grasping at straws.

"If you don't come with me, you'll never have fried shrimp again, and you love fried shrimp," she elaborated. He frowned and shook his head.

"Asuka, I let my friend's die. I can't go back," Judai said. At least, the demon hadn't taken him over yet. She caught the flaw in his argument.

"So, you're saying I'm not your friend," she said. He clutched his head and a low mutter of protest escaped him.

"You are, but I have to stay strong or things will get worse,," he said. She could finish her turn but this opportunity wouldn't come again. He obviously wasn't thinking. He never could bring himself to do that.

"Judai, you're trying to kill me. Don't tell me you know what you're doing," she snapped at him.

"I . . . I have to stay strong, and to be strong I must," Judai said, starting to trail off. She was losing him, and she wasn't sure how to reel him back in.

"Judai, listen to me," she said. He never could bring himself to do that either. He shut his eyes, and when he opened them, they were golden. A spew of dark vapor escaped him, he glared at her.

" Finish your turn," Haou demanded.

She drew a card. Her only consolation at this point was that had she snapped him out of it, the best she could have done to take them out of this situation was have Judai surrender. She had no guarantee that Haou was right about anything being left after that. She would have to beat him, neither his departed friends or fried shrimp had made a difference.

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light," she said. Several swords of light protected her field, and Haou laughed.

"You have become an expert at running away, or how else exactly did you survive?" Haou said.

Asuka would not give him the satisfaction of confirming his suspicions. A pinch of shame over came her, had she stayed, could she have made a difference? It didn't matter now. Should she defeat him, their deaths would not be in vain.

"I end my turn," Asuka said. Unfortunately, her cards weren't cooperating.

"How fortunate, I can see already what you will do," Haou said while placing the card he drew down.

His words succeeded in making her second guess herself. There were few cards that could turn the tide so easily. It was doubtful that he had set a magic card. Asuka wondered if he meant to trap her, perhaps with Torrential Tribute or Mirror Force. She would have to attack eventually or let him swarm her.

The idea seemed too obvious and she dismissed it. She might as well follow her stratagem and make adjustments from there. With Manju and Machine Angel Ritual in her hand, the pieces were in place.

"I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and add Cyber Angel- Dakini to my hand," Asuka said.

He clapped at the familiar play. Judai had seen it, even if he hadn't faced it before. The monster itself had crushed Manjoume's defenses easily. With only one monster out, the same would happen to him this turn, and yet, there was no doubt in her mind that he believed he was set to win. Despite the cool atmosphere, she felt the sudden heat of anger overtake her.

"I activate Machine Ancient Ritual and sacrifice Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands and Gellenduo to summon Cyber Angel - Dakini," She said.

Like her other Cyber Angels, it had a blue pallor and readily kept a somber expression. Her golden head cover had black protrusions coming out of it and fell down to her thigh. Dakini held two blades with its upper arms and a staff with its lower arms. The orange hued armor she wore covered her shoulders and breasts but showed her mid drift. Her pants matched her gloves as they were both made by the same black material and golden trim.

"When Dakini is summoned you must pick a monster on your side of the field to destroy," she said. Haou did not bother to point as Dakini had only one possible target. She immediately laid waste to Caius by slicing his head clean off. The set card did not activate.

"I attack with Cyber Angel - Dakini, Divine Slash," Asuka said. Her monster struck Haou three times on the chest with her blades and staff without much physical consequence. His life points dropped to five thousand three hundred.

"I end my turn," she said. Haou nodded absently.

"I summon Elemental Hero Stratos and add Evil Hero Malicious Edge to my hand," he said. Like many of Judai's monsters, the creature was masked and humanoid. This one represented itself as a type of blue bird but unlike Avian, its wings, mask, and armor were metallic with a much more complex design. The ground started to shake. She held onto a nearby column to keep her balance.

"I discard one card to activate Super Polymerization," Haou declared as the massive vortex swallowed Stratos and Dakini.

"Super Polymerization?" she said as Judai's favorite strategy was used in a fairly sinister way.

"And summon Elemental Hero Gaia," he said. She felt adrenaline rush through her in anticipation for her first direct hit in this world. Would she reach a point where her body would simply not let her continue?

The creature was unfamiliar to her, but it at least did not seemed tainted by whatever afflicted Judai. The thing was rotund and welded together into neat shiny black segments with orange energy spheres place around its entire body. The arms were equipped to shoot missiles and it readily aimed it at her.

"Attack, Rolling Fissures," Haou said, causing the creature to direct its blast to the ground. For a moment, she believed he wished to spare her needless suffering, but the fissure headed straight towards her. A sudden acute pain struck her as her leg fell into the resulting crack. She cursed silently as her life points dropped to four thousand. She pulled her leg out and winced at the large gash.

She tore a piece of fabric off her barely adequate skirt and covered it to prevent it from bleeding out.

"I end my turn," Haou said, and he waited without the slightest hint of remorse. She scooted further from the damage and shakily stood. She leaned against a column to take pressure off her leg.

" I use Valhalla to summon Tethys Goddess of Light," Asuka said in between breaths.

"Tethys attack Elemental Hero Gaia, Blinding Truth," she shouted.

This monster had a more traditional angelic physique than a few of her others. The creature had feathered wings loosely held together by magical blue orbs, without her wings she could pass for human. She wore a helmet and armor, decorated in golden trim and jewels. Underneath her armor, she wore a flowing white garb that resembled white flowers petals.

She released a blinding energy that caused Gaia to shatter, and Haou to lose two hundred life points. Now, his field was open and with any luck at all she could take the lead next turn with a direct attack. Of course, generally, Judai hoarded any luck available in the vicinity. She desperately hoped that he had no such ability.

He could make her bleed, and it was taking all control not to run.

"I end my turn," he said. The air made her light headed, and it took her a full minute to realize she could draw again.

"I drew The Agent of Judgement - Saturn. So, by Tethy's effect, I draw," she said, again, finding another fairy in her hand.

"I drew Soul of Purity and Light. So, I draw another card," she said, stopping as she came across a trap card, Enchanted Javelin.

"I remove from play Gellenduo and Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands to summon Soul of Purity and Light," she said as the simple guardian angel appeared tenderly holding her lover.

"It's almost pitiful how you view yourself. Everything in your deck is so pure and good. Is that what you think you are? Why you can save me?" he asked. She didn't answer.

"I attack with Tethys, Goddess of Light, Blinding Truth," she said. His life points dropped to two thousand nine hundred, but a dark cloud surfaced in response. It formed into a lady whose eyes were covered by black helmet. The back of it resembled an axe and split into two sharp edges. Her black armor reached her hips before narrowing into a flat front, a red skirt lay underneath. She held out her sword and had exactly twenty four hundred attack points.

Then, right after, Haou summoned her partner. His hair was like red feathered plumes and a metal mask obscured most of his face. Asuka noted the mask seemed designed so he looked as if he had devil horns. His armor gleamed black and silver, and red fabric flared down from the base of the armor almost like a reverse skirt. A large blade that could well cut Asuka in half in this world was casually strung behind his back and curved blades were attached to his hands. He made cutting motions with them to show off. She smiled a pretty smile before they both faced her.

"When I take a direct attack, a token is created with the same attack and defense points as the damage I took. I am also allowed to summon Gorz Emissary of Darkness," he explained.

Blocked, she realized and sighed. He would have survived the blow either way, but now, he had the chance to finish her.

"I set one card face down and end my turn," she said.

" First, I use Soul Taker to eliminate Tethys, Goddess of light," he said. Tethys began to crack causing tiny bits of lights to shine. Asuka acted quickly.

"I activate Dark Bribe. Your card is negated and you get to draw," she countered

"Very well, I activate Dark Calling," he said, adding Burstinatrix to the graveyard.

"This allows me to fuse monsters in the graveyard or in my hand together. I summon Evil Hero Inferno Wing," he said.

The creature before her was the complete opposite of Wingman. The monster had a femine build complete with ruby red lips and a revealing red dress. The thing even had fully formed bat-like wings compared to Wingman's one feathered wing. The visors it wore covered it eyes, but she could feel it watching her. She lifted her massive claws and cackled. Asuka's skinned crawled.

Soul of Purity and Light weakened them with her ethereal light. Haou's monsters stepped back instinctively. Inferno Wing hissed.

" Emissary of Darkness Token, attack Soul of Purity and Light, Deadly Assist," he said. The angel screamed and vanished into a series of sparks. Asuka's life points dropped a mere hundred points, but she took the loss hard. No hope.

"Emissary of Darkness attack Tethys, Blood Trinity," he said. Tethys first lost her wings and then was sliced clean in half before shattering. Another three hundred, she was open now, but her face down would save her from taking further damage, like point wise at least.

"Now, Inferno Wing Flaming Hell," he shouted as the fire threatened to burn her. She raised her hand over her set card quickly.

" Enchanted Javelin activates, I gain twenty one hundred life points," she said.

"And your about to loose them," Haou said. The burning sensation was not as bad as she expected. It stung, but the heat was no more than one would feel on a hot summers day.

"I set two cards down and end my turn," Haou finished. Asuka rubbed the small burns on her arms before drawing, Honest.

"I activate Valhalla and summon The Agent of Judgement Saturn," she said

This angel had more of an attitude than her others. It strut forward as if a pack of rabid fiends did not await to slaughter it. The entirety of its body was purple, and the white and purple priestess robes it wore with adorning amethyst gems made one's attention travel to her. She had gold adornments all around her body displaying her status.

"I end my turn," she said.

"Oh, you mean to bait me," he said. She didn't deny it.

"You're mistaken if you think such a simple trick will work on me, I use Smashing Ground and destroy your monster," Haou said.

It dawned on her that she had lost, no monsters, useful traps, or next turn left.

"So, Judai can you kill me?" she said, finally.

"It would disrespectful if I didn't," Haou said earnestly.

"Emisarry of Darkness and Emissary of Darkness Token, end this," he said.

She was sure she didn't bleed despite the cuts they inflicted on her. If anything, the energy she had left escaped much more quickly because of the open wounds. She saw her torn up leg disperse into sparks first before the rest of her followed.

Haou tossed her duel disk on the grass beside the road. He wavered and took the time to walk a few steps further and leave it near a tree. He collected a card from her as he had from the others. Then, he turned around and walked toward his army.


End file.
